Absolute Return


Absolute Return

The return on an asset, fund, or other investment expressed in dollar or percentage terms. That is, the absolute return is the return relative to the investment itself. For example, if one buys shares in a stock for $1000 and sells them for $1500, one may say that one has an absolute return of $500 or 50%. There is little analysis of the absolute return beyond that. Most of the time, the absolute return is less helpful to investors than the relative return, which compares the return on an investment relative to other, similar investments or to the market as a whole. See also: Absolute Return Fund.